Lionel Messi fans never had to support different players to rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile Ronaldo fans have been jumping from player to player to beat Lionel Messi
In 2019, they supported Virgil Van Dijk to win the Balon D’or and FIFA the Best award
In 2021, they supported Robert Lewandowski to win the Balon D’or and FIFA the Best Award
In 2023, they supported Erling Haaland to win the Balon D’or and FIFA the Best award
In 2026, they’re supporting Kylian Mbappe to beat Lionel Messi at the World Cup
For almost a decade now (since 2017) Ronaldo has not won a relevant individual award (at the highest level), they have been looking for different people to compare with Lionel Messi. And Messi keeps coming out on Top 🐐
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo realizes that in the year he wants to win his World Cup:
Vinícius has become Ronaldinho;
Mbappé has become Ronaldo Nazário;
Ousmane Dembélé has become Thierry Henry;
Erling Haaland has become Pelé;
Messi is still Messi.
And CR7 himself has become Ferran Torres 😂😂😂.
🚨🚨 | Lionel Messi's FIFA World Cup RECORDS:
🏅 Most World Cup Tournaments Played (6)
🏅 Most Games Played (29)
🏅 Most Games Started (26)
🏅 Most Games as Captain (22)
🏅 Most Games with a Goal (14)
🏅 Most Games with a Goal AND an Assist (4)
🏅 Most Minutes Played (2514+)
🏅 Most Games Won (19)
🏅 Most Goal Involvements (27)
🏅 Most Clutch Goal Involvements (16)
🏅 Most Goals Scored (19)
🏅 Most Consecutive Games Scored In (7)
🏅 Most Consecutive Games as MOTM (6)
🏅 Most Goals by an Argentinian (19)
🏅 Most Goals by a 35+ Years Old (13)
🏅 Most Goals by a 37+ Years Old (6)
🏅 Second-Most Non-Penalty Goals (15)
🏅 Most Left Footed Goals (15)
🏅 Most Goals Scored from Outside the Box (7)
🏅 Most Different Opponents Scored Against (13)
🏅 Most Goals Scored in Group stage (14)
🏅 Most Weak-Foot Goals (4)
🏅 Most Goals Scored in a Game by a Captain (3)
🏅 Most Assists (8)
🏅 Most Assists by an Argentinian (8)
🏅 Most Free Kicks Goals Scored (2)
🏅 Most Free Kicks Goals Scored as a SUB (1)
🏅 Most Penaltys Attempted (7)
🏅 Second-Most Goals on Penalty (4)
🏅 Most Missed Penaltys (3)
🏅 Most Opening Goals in World Cups (10)
🏅 Most Goals to Put His Team Ahead (12)
🏅 Most Man of the Match Awards (13)
🏅 Most Man of the Match (12)
🏅 Most Dribbles Attempted (194+)
🏅 Most Successful Dribbles (115+)
🏅 Most Shots Attempted (120+)
🏅 Most Shots on Target (55+)
🏅 Most Chances Created (81+)
🏅 Most Big Chances Created (19+)
🏅 Most Key Passes (81+)
🏅 Most Accurate Passes in Opponent’s Half (879+)
🏅 Most Goals From Outside the Box (6)
🏅 Most Ball Carries since 2006 (810+)
🏅 Most Touches (2086+)
🏅 Second-Most Duels Won (235+)
🎯 1311+ Passes Attempted
✅ 42+ Accurate Long Balls
🎖️ 80+ Fouls Won
🔄 84+ Balls Recovered
🛡️ 42+ Defensive Actions
🎖️ Most goals for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup (19)
🎖️ All-time Top Scorer in FIFA World Cup history (19)
🎖️ Most assists for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup (8, tied with Maradona)
🎖️ Only player to score at the World Cup in his teens, 20s and 30s.
🎖️ Only player to assist in 5 different FIFA World Cups.
🎖️ Only player to score AND assist in 4 different FIFA World Cup matches.
🎖️ Only player in World Cup history to score against 13 different opponents.
🎖️ First player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice (2014 & 2022).
🎖️ First player in history to score in seven consecutive World Cup games.
🎖️ First player to score in all 5 rounds of a single FIFA World Cup.
🎖️ First Argentine to score in 5 & 6 different World Cup matches in a single tournament.
🎖️ First Argentine to score in 3 & 4 different knockout matches in a single World Cup.
🎖️ Youngest and oldest player to record a goal and assist in a FIFA World Cup match.
🎖️ Youngest player to play for Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🎖️ Youngest player to score for Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🎖️ Youngest player to captain Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🎖️ Oldest player to score for Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🎖️ Oldest player to score a FIFA World Cup hat-trick.
🎖️ Oldest player to score 5, 6 & 7 goals at a World Cup.
🎖️ Oldest player to reach 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19 goals tally at the World Cup.
🎖️ Oldest player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball.
🎖️ Biggest gap between first and latest FIFA World Cup goal: 20 years, 16 days.
The most complete World Cup career in football history. 🐐🇦🇷🏆
Lionel Messi is the first player to score in SEVEN consecutive World Cup matches, a run that goes back to Argentina’s Round of 16 game against Australia in 2022.
🚨🗣️ Luis Díaz: "When I was young, I had an Argentina jersey, and I told my friends that Messi gave it to me, and They all believed me because I was their leader and knew football very well.
When I met Messi, I asked him for his jersey and told him the story. He said to me, 'Bring me that jersey so I can sign it and turn the lie into the truth, and now you'll have a real one! He also asked me for my jersey.
When I gave it to him, he jokingly said, 'Tell your friends that Messi asked for your jersey!' He was very humble and shy. He has always been my idol."
Ronaldo has 0 competitive goals against Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, and Ecuador.
That tells you one thing: scoring against South American nations is incredibly difficult.
Meanwhile, Messi has spent his entire international career facing South American opposition in World Cup qualifiers and Copa América—arguably the toughest qualifying route in international football.
This isn't Lithuania, Luxembourg, or Andorra.
If Ronaldo had spent his entire international career playing CONMEBOL qualifiers, his scoring numbers would almost certainly look very different
Ronaldo played against a less competitive country, scored a brace and wasted no time announcing to the world that he was back. Messi, on the other hand, has been scoring game after game throughout the group stage of the World Cup, yet his only concern has been seeing his country win.
Then came Colombia.
The same man who loudly proclaimed his return suddenly went missing when it was time to prove it against serious opposition. The goals dried up, the impact disappeared and the performance failed to match the noise.
That is the difference between making headlines and making history.
One feels the need to remind everyone that he is back after a brace against weaker opponents; the other simply keeps delivering and lets his football speak for itself.
Talk is cheap.
The pitch is where reputations are tested.
#Algeria
@danielholkss Simply put, Ronaldo is a great player no doubt but you see Messi? Messi na god!
Ronaldo is in competition with Messi and doing everything possible to close the gap but the gap keeps widening!
The Messi versus Ronaldo debate ended years ago. The problem is one side cannot accept the verdict.
Ronaldo is one of the greatest athletes ever produced. Disciplined, physical, relentless. A monument to what willpower can build.
But Messi does things that willpower cannot explain. Things that should not be possible at that speed with that many people trying to stop him. Things that make experienced footballers stop and watch with their mouths open.
You do not compare a great man to a genius. They are not the same category.
Ronaldo arrived at greatness. Messi arrived from somewhere else entirely.
Miles ahead is actually underselling it.
Senator OluRemi Tinubu holds the firm belief that women should be empowered with grants to start akara, roasted corn, & kulikuli business by the roadside in 2026. That’s her worldview.
That’s her definition of Women Empowerment. That is how a — 21st century First Lady thinks?
Now I understand exactly why they think that the people deserve to scavenge for bread from moving vehicles. Now I understand why they don’t even rate Nigerians. Those women don’t deserve buses like the City Boys Movement?
They don’t deserve shops or shop rents? They don’t deserve cars like APC women leaders?
And if you give jobs to their children, that way, they can take care of their mothers, it will be considered a taboo or — too much of a gift?
Spin doctors will spin this. They will deflect by infusing Peter Obi into the conversation. They will say she never meant akara, roasted corn, nor kuli-kuli. But that’s exactly what she meant. Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain but the people are tired of running.
Nigeria is plagued by ancient problems, ancient mentality, & ancient mendacity. You are ruled — “not governed” by the Ancient of Days. 💔
Bayo Onanuga is advising us to stop travelling at night.
Remi Tinubu is advising us to start frying akara.
Late Okupe was advising us to start farming in our apartments.
Tinubu is advising us to stop eating 3 square meals because it's a fake life.
And you're telling me this government didn't have a covenant with the underworld?
🇦🇷 1158 Games
⚽️ 916 Goals
🎯 414 Assists
🏅 8 Ballon d'Ors
🏆 46 Trophies
✅ All-time top goalscorer at the World Cup
🗣️ Sir Alex Ferguson: “Messi is on a different level to everybody else, it's as simple as that.”
🗣️ Pep Guardiola: “Don’t write about him, don’t try to describe him, just watch him.”
🗣️ Jürgen Klopp: “Messi is probably the best player I've seen in my whole life.”
🗣️ David Beckham: “Messi is simply the best player in the world. Messi is alone in his class.”
Happy Birthday to the GREATEST OF ALL TIME, Lionel Messi, who turns 39 today. 🐐
🏆 Lionel Messi’s IMPRESSIVE Records at the FIFA World Cup.
🥇 All-time World Cup top scorer (18)
🥇 Most goal contributions in World Cup history (24)
🥇 Scored in the most World Cup games (14)
🥇 Most World Cup games won (19)
🥇 Most World Cup Player of the Match awards (14)
🥇 Most opening goals at the World Cup (10)
🥇 Most goals from outside the box at the World Cup (6)
🥇 Scored in the most different World Cup editions (5)
🥇 Oldest player to score a World Cup brace (38)
🥇 Oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick (38)
🥇 Most international hat-tricks (11)
🥇 Only player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice
🥇 Oldest player to win the World Cup Golden Ball (35)
🥇 Most POTM awards in a single World Cup (5)
🥇 Only player ever to win a Player of the Match in every round of a World Cup
🥇 Youngest and oldest player to both score and assist in a World Cup game
🥇 Most World Cup appearances (28)
🥇 Most World Cup appearances as captain (20)
🥇 Most minutes played at the World Cup (2393)
🥇 Argentina's all time topscorer (121)
🥇 Most appearances for Argentina (201)
🥇 Argentina's all time assists (61)
🥇 Most international assists in football history (61)
🥇 Most Ballon d’Or awards (8)
🥇 Most FIFA Player of the Year awards (8)
🥇 Most consecutive Ballon d’Or awards (4)
🥇 Most Best Player awards in major international tournaments (4)
🥇 Most individual awards in major international tournaments (6)
🥇 Only player to score 50+ goals in 9 different calendar years for club and country
🥇 Only player to score in 7 different competitions in a calendar year for club and country
🥇 Most goals in major international tournaments (31)
🥇 Most goal contributions in major international tournaments (57)
🥇 Most assists in major international tournaments (26)
🐐 GOAT-GREATEST OF ALL TIME
🐐🇦🇷 Lionel Messi has NEVER been eliminated in the group stage of any major tournament in his entire career.
▪️ Champions League: 19/19 qualifications.
▪️ Copa América: 7/7 qualifications.
▪️ World Cup: 6/6 qualifications.
▪️ Club World Cup: 1/1 qualification.
▪️ Leagues Cup: 2/2 qualifications.
That's 35 group stages played and 35 successfully navigated.
An extraordinary level of consistency. 🛸✨🇦🇷
All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:
Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player - 18
Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual - 28
Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 18
Most minutes played in the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 2,489
We are witnessing history.
🚨 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗: Lionel Messi is now the leading World Cup goalscorer of all-time.
17 — Lionel Messi 🇦🇷
16 — Miroslav Klose 🇩🇪
15 — Ronaldo 🇧🇷
14 — Gerd Müller 🇩🇪
14 — Kylian Mbappé 🇫🇷
13 — Just Fontaine 🇫🇷
12 — Pelé 🇧🇷
11 — Sándor Kocsis 🇭🇺
11 — Jürgen Klinsmann 🇩🇪
10 — Helmut Rahn 🇩🇪
10 — Gary Lineker 🏴
10 — Gabriel Batistuta 🇦🇷
10 — Harry Kane 🏴
10 — Teófilo Cubillas 🇵🇪
10 — Thomas Müller 🇩🇪
10 — Grzegorz Lato 🇵🇱
🏆 Lionel Messi’s Records at the FIFA World Cup.
🏅 Most World Cup Tournaments Played (6)
🏅 Most Games Played (26)
🏅 Most Games Started (24)
🏅 Most Games as Captain (19)
🏅 Most Games with a Goal (12)
🏅 Most Games with a Goal & an Assist (4)
🏅 Most Minutes Played (2314+)
🏅 Joint-Most Games Won (17)
🏅 Most Goal Involvements (24)
🏅 Joint-Most Goals Scored (16)
🏅 Most Goals by an Argentinian (16)
🏅 Most Assists (8)
🏅 Most Goals on Penalty (4)
🏅 Most Opening Goals in World Cups (8)
🏅 Most Goals to Put His Team Ahead (10)
🏅 Most Man of the Match Awards (11)
🏅 Most Dribbles Attempted (188+)
🏅 Most Successful Dribbles (112+)
🏅 Most Shots Attempted (108+)
🏅 Most Shots on Target (49+)
🏅 Most Chances Created (75+)
🏅 Most Big Chances Created (16+)
🏅 Most Key Passes (75+)
🏅 Most Accurate Passes in Opponent’s Half (824+)
🏅 Second-Most Goals From Outside the Box (4)
🏅 Second-Most Touches (1931+)
🏅 Second-Most Duels Won (222+)
🏅Most goals for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup (16)
🏅Joint all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cup history (16)
🏅Most assists for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup (8, tied with Maradona)
🏅Only player to score at the World Cup in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.
🏅Only player to assist in 5 different FIFA World Cups.
🏅Only player to score & assist in 4 different FIFA World Cup matches.
🏅First player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice (2014 & 2022).
🏅First player to score in all 5 rounds of a single FIFA World Cup.
🏅First Argentine to score in 5 & 6 different World Cup matches in a single tournament.
🏅First Argentine to score in 3 & 4 different knockout matches in a single World Cup.
🏅Youngest and oldest player to record a goal and assist in a FIFA World Cup match.
🏅Youngest player to play for Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🏅Youngest player to score for Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🏅Youngest player to captain Argentina at a FIFA World Cup.
🏅Oldest player to score a FIFA World Cup hat-trick.
🏅Oldest player to score 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16 World Cup goals.
🏅Oldest player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball.
🏅Biggest gap between first and latest FIFA World Cup goal: 20 years.
🐐 GOAT-GREATEST OF ALL TIME